​​Preserving Alabama's past at the library

Two speakers will be at the Athens-Limestone County Public Library Tuesday, August 15th, 6:00 to 8:00, discussing their efforts to capture fleeting images of Alabama's history.

Ruth Elder, a librarian from Troy University, is the main researcher, writer, and organizer of the Wade Hall Traveling Postcard Exhibition, on display at the library throughout August. The exhibition features...

...historic images of Alabama gathered from Dr. Wade Hall’s collection of more than 25,000 postcards. The exhibition will tour Alabama throughout the state’s bicentennial and has a companion book, Greetings From Alabama, showing even more postcards from Dr. Hall’s collection.While working on the exhibit, Elder learned many interesting stories about Alabama's past which she wants to share with her audience at the library. "Because of my research for the Wade Hall Postcard Traveling Exhibits, I now know more about my adopted state of Alabama then my home state," she says. "My hope is that visitors to the exhibits will come to appreciate the rich history of this state as I have."One man who does appreciate Alabama's rich history is Glenn Wills, photojournalist and author of Forgotten Alabama. The book is the result of eight years, 25,000 miles, and more than 10,000 photographs, as Wills traveled through all 67 counties of Alabama photographing the state's abandoned and forgotten structures. His pictures are "reminders of our past that we built, used, and eventually walked away from," Wills says. He traces the inspiration for Forgotten Alabama back to a trip he took in 2007. "I spotted a 1957 Chevy Bel Air on the side of the road between Childersburg and Sylacauga and stopped to check it out," he recalls. "That led me to discover a junk yard that was an amazing collection of ancient, rusting automobiles dating back eight decades. Regretfully, I did not have a camera that day, and I never went anywhere without one again."Ruth Elder will speak at 6:00, and Glenn Wills will speak at 7:00. Both speakers will take questions from the audience and have books to sell during the event. This is a free event, no registration required.

​CONTACT INFO:Kristopher ReiszHead of Adult Programing, Athens-Limestone County Public Library256-232-1233